I Burn
by Zero-metallix
Summary: This is the collected story chapters from a Worm quest I am currently running on Spacebattles. Slow updates and short chapters. Alt!Taylor. Independent hero.
1. Chapter 1

The warehouse was in a bad side of town, close to the docks.

From the outside it looked like just another of the many vacant buildings around it. The windows were boarded up, 'For Rent' signs across the front. Graffiti covered covered most of the walls.

Walking round the building, I noticed light spilling out through gaps in the boarding. What drew my attention was the stylised wolf head, with EEE in it's mouth, hidden amongst the graffiti. _Hookwolf._

Finding a door that wasn't blocked up, I banged my fist on it. A small hatch opened and a pair of eyes gave me a dismissive look. "You're a little young aint ya?"

Ignoring the question, I held up some money. A roll of fifties I took off an Empire thug last week.

Grunting, the man grabbed the money and opened the door. He barely spared me a glance as I walked past. He was too focused on counting his money. Immediately inside, I turned and went up the stairs.

Growing up, I'd listened to Dad and his friends from the docks talk about places like this. The news networks called them "underground arenas", "Illegal blood sports", and "fight clubs." The people who came here just called it The Pit.

The entire ground floor had been cleared and wooden walls had been erected to create a large box. on the second floor, the floor had been torn up to let people look down into the arena.

The second floor was packed with people who were doing just that. Pressed in tight, they shouted and screamed as a pair of men beat each other bloody. The smell of sweat, blood and mold filled the air along with the stink of a nearby generator that was providing power to the lights.

Standing at the back of the crowd, I made sure my scarf was in place for when my hood came loose.

Below me, one of the fighters had stopped moving. Once it was clear he wasn't going to get up, a section of the wall was moved aside and a pair of men carried him away while the victor staggered out under his own power.

A man stepped out onto a wooden platform that stuck out over the pit, "AAAAAALLLLRRIGHT! Victory goes to 'Crusher' Krill!" He shouted.

"I know you're all here for the big event, but first! some entertainment." behind him, the crowd parted and two young women were lead towards the edge of the pit.

Both were young, pretty and terrified. One looked japanese, her long dark hair was matted with blood and there were tear stains on her cheeks. The other girl was taller and had to be restrained by two men as she continued to thrash and hurl abuse at her captors and her dark skin was marred with bruises.

I started to push my way through the crowd as the 'commentator' turned to the girls.

"Okay ladies, It's quite simple. Two in, one out. Understand?" The taller girl said something that was lost to the noise of the crowd and the commentator laughed. "Oh, and just in case you get any ideas. If you refuse to fight, we'll let the dogs have you both. You have 3 minutes."

With that, both girls were pushed over the edge and allowed to drop into the pit.

giving up on subtlety I grabbed the nearest person, a large man with tatoos on his neck. In one movement, I picked him up and threw him at the commentator. The two collided with a satisfying crunch and fell into the pit below.

The crowd parted and I took two brisk steps forward and jumped. The wooden platform creaked as I landed on it. The anger I felt at these people helped fuel the warmth in my body.

I didn't trust my voice not to waver so I kept things simple, "Leave...NOW!" My eyes flashed red under my hood.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the crowed before several people laughed. I tried to ignore the rush of embarrassment. A large man in loose fitting pants and a tiger mask stepped forward and brought his foot down on the edge of the platform. The wood shattered and dropped me into the pit.

"Fifty grand for whoever deals with the nigger-lover!" he shouted as I landed.

Three men immediately jumped in after me. Trying to look tougher than I felt I walked slowly around the ring, putting myself between the two girls and the thugs.

Aparently forgetting I had just thrown a man, two of the thugs laughed while the third charged at me and the crowd screamed for blood. .

As he swung at me I stepped forward into his punch, putting him off balance and then I punched. Hard.

There was the sound of breaking bones and he flew across the ring, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

His friends had a moment to look surprised before I was on them.

Closing the distance I caught the first in the stomach, doubling him over. The last thug lashed out, hitting me in the side of the head.

I took the hit and rolled with it. spinning around I brought the back of my hand into his nose. As he hit the floor, I punched the wall in front of me. There was a flash of flame and the wood exploded.

"Go!" I shouted to the girls. The taller girl immediately grabbed the other and pulled her towards the opening.

More men jumped down and I stepped back from the hole. I needed to buy those girls some time to get away, so I couldn't escape yet.

This time, they came at me in groups. hoping to drown me in numbers but mostly they got in each other's way. The world was a mess of limbs as I ducked and weaved about. Blocking what I could and moving with the blows when I couldnt.

Slowly, I took control of the fight, moving towards the centre of the ring. With every punch I blocked, every hit I took, the world got slower. Taking the energy from their attacks I got stronger and faster. The heat in my body was building rapidly and my hair was starting to glow.

Walking in here tonight, I had been nervous, almost scared. Now all that was lost to the thrill of the fight.

Striking out at the nearest thug my fist exploded. A ball of fire and concussive energy throwing him back. I let the recoil throw me into a spin, lashing out with my foot, which caused another explosion and put the ganger into the wall.

Deciding to make a point, I punched the ground below me. A wave of fire and force radiated outwards, sending everyone but me flying and shattering the wooden walls of the arena.

My fire only burned what I wanted it too.

Above me, the crowd had scattered. Only those who belonged to the Empire had stuck around when it became clear this was a cape battle.

Stormtiger hit the ground opposite me. He didn't move at first, instead he hung back, sizing me up. Maybe he was hoping my power would wind down if he waited? [I] _Not a chance.[/I]_

"You're strong. The Empire is always looking for new capes. Your choice, join, or die." He said, his voice calm and confident.

With my hood up, all he could see were two glowing red eyes under my hood. "Go to hell."

He shrugged, "The nigger and the chink won't get far either way, my men will see to that."

I almost didn't see him move. He punched the air in front of him and a ball of condensed air smashed into my chest.

The blow knocked me off my feet and sent me skidding across the floor. Any of his men that were caught in the blast fared no better.

I rolled to a stop and tried to climb to my feet but he had already closed the distance between us. He must have been using his power to move that fast.

Caught off balance, I was forced to roll and dive frantically until I created a blast of fire that put me in the air and forced him back.

I managed to land on my feet and bring my arms up to guard myself before he closed in again.

I dodged a couple more hits before he landed a slash across my forearms. His 'air claws' carved deep furrows into my arms and I had to bite back a scream as another air blast sent me flying.

When the world stopped spinning, I was on my back looking up at the ceiling two floors above me. I could feel the wounds on my arms already starting to heal.

I climbed, unsteadily, to my feet. smoke was pouring out of my hood. Across from me, Stormtiger smirked.

I wanted to wipe that face right off his expression…. _Er…._ I shook my head to clear it.

I. Had had. "Enough!"

As I shouted the word, I punched the palm of my hand. Fire erupted around me and my hair burst into flames, destroying my hood. I charged forward, fire exploding from my feet, driving me forward.

Shocked, Stormtiger fired more blasts at me. _-Too slow!-_ His only ranged attack was his air blasts. Powerful, but they moved in a straight, predictable line.

Dodging from side to side, I stepped around his blasts, rapidly closing the gap between us. He switched back to his claws, swiping for my neck.

Ducking under the swipe, I rammed my fist into his stomach, the explosion knocking him back. I closed in again and rained down hit after hit, while the air condensed around him like a shield.

A powerful blast of air pushed us apart but it was a desperate move and most of the energy was wasted.

Not giving him the chance to recover, I blasted towards him. Pulling my arm back I forced as much energy as I dared into the blow. I hit his face with an explosion that lit up the entire warehouse and sent him through the same door I'd come in through.

I held my breath, Stormtiger stirred and tried to stand until half a brick, thrown by one of the girls I'd saved, hit the side of his head and he stayed down. Breathing heavily, I let the fire go out. Releasing the energy I'd built up through the fight.

I could hear sirens in the distance, "Well…" I said, "That was a thing."


	2. 1-1

It had only been two days since I fought Stormtiger and the PHO boards were still talking about it. There was even some footage, filmed by someone in the crowd. I had to admit, I did look pretty badass.

Throwing fire and men around like they were nothing, shrugging off blows that should have killed me. The only real let down was my costume.

A pair of jeans and an old -and now burned- hoodie were not the most awe inspiring of sights, even if your head was on fire. The black scarf had done a good job of hiding your face, but maybe I should get one with some more colour?

I really needed to go shopping for a better costume, but money was an issue. My allowance wasn't much and it would look suspicious if I started asking dad for more.

I had stuck around after the fight just long enough to make sure those girls were alright and to grab some some of the cash left behind, but I suspected one of the Empire thugs had been smart enough to grab most of it before running off.

Now, I was standing on a rooftop close to the centre of Brockton Bay trying to decide what to do next.

Going after the Empire twice in a row sounded like a bad idea, they'd be liable to take notice -Especially as Stormtiger had been arrested because of me-, and with over a dozen capes on their roster, the chances of running into another one was pretty high.

My other choices were the Azn Bad Boys, the pan-asian gang lead by Lung or the Merchants.

The ABB only had two capes so the chances of meeting one was low. Oni-Lee was a teleporter, which would be a problem to fight. Lung, however, was the real worry.

On paper, our powers almost looked similar, we could both get stronger as the fight went on and we could both control fire. After that, everything was different. I absorbed energy and used it in different ways while Lung got stronger and slowly transformed into a dragon like creature.

Another similarity was our regeneration abilities. But while mine used the energy I had absorbed, his simply got faster and more effective as he got stronger

So far, no one knew if Lung had an upper limit and he had once fought an Endbringer to a standstill. I wasn't so sure what the limits of power were but I didn't think I wanted to test them against [I]Lung[/I].

On the other hand, the ABB hurt Emma. She's never been the same since the attack in the alley, she barely left the house afterward and dropped out of school completely.

Some days it almost feels like they killed her. My best friend, all but gone.

That just left the Merchants. Up until the last couple of years they weren't really a gang, just a loose collection of dealers and suppliers trying to protect themselves from the other gangs. These days Skidmark, Squealer, and Mush had managed to force them into something resembling an organisation.

Three capes, so a fairly low chance of meeting them if I stayed away from the bigger safe houses, and the gang members who were usually too drugged up to put up much of a fight.

Of course, raiding a safe house might be a good way to make some money and be a hero at the same time.


	3. 1-2

**Players chose:**

 **[x] Merchants**

* * *

After a bit of thought I decided to go after the Merchants. They were a softer target and I had less chance of meeting a cape.

Moving through the city was easy for me. I was strong enough to jump from one building to another, occasionally using bursts of flame to boost my jumps. Occasionally, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness. It was a shame I couldn't actually fly, this feeling of freedom was intoxicating. I didn't need to fear falling after all.

Landing on a roof in one of the rougher parts of town, I tried to spot the distinctive blue tag used by the Merchants. They didn't really hold territory like the other gangs, usually you found them on the edges of someone else's territory, and they prefered to pull back rather than risk direct confrontation.

I really need some binoculars or something.

It took nearly twenty minutes of searching before I got lucky and stumbled across a Merchant safe house. Once you knew what to look for, it wasn't hard to spot places like this.

The Merchants had once moved into an empty house on my street. The police had raided it within a week, but this place looked just like it. Boarded up windows, a couple of guys in Merchant colours hanging about and occasionally a car or dealer would turn up, knock on the door, then leave.

I was too far away to see what they were doing but I could guess.

I'd been sitting here for long enough and was fairly sure there were no capes nearby. Taking a deep breath, I jumped off the roof. Absorbing the energy from the impact as I landed, I sprinted for the door.

The Merchant standing outside saw me coming and managed to bring his gun up and fire. I flinched at the sound but kept moving forward. The gun shots were almost deafening in the quiet of night.

I'd always suspected I was bulletproof but I'd never tested it until now. The low caliber weapon wasn't able to hurt me, since my power absorbed the impact. I would have to be careful with larger calibers or specialist rounds though.

I slammed the Merchant into the wall and punched him across the jaw. He went down and stayed there.

Alright, anyone inside would have heard the noise. In and out quick, before they can call for reinforcements.

A kick shattered the door and more low caliber rounds slammed harmlessly into me. Grin creeping across my face at the rush, I charged.

The first two went down in seconds. The third took a swing at me with a bat. I caught the impact on my arm and lashed out with my foot. Catching him in the gut, he was sent sailing across the room, and hit the far wall with a crunch. I hoped I hadn't done anything permanent.

The fourth quickly dropped his weapon and put his hands up. Smirking, I zip-tied his hands behind his back.

The kitchen looked a homemade drug lab, so I left it alone. On one of the tables were stacks of money and a couple of plastic bags. It looked like the bags were being used to wrap drugs. Taking some of the bags, I stuffed as much money as I could into them, larger bills first. This should cover me for awhile.

That done, I was just debating how to call the cops when the back door exploded and a giant pile of living garbage tore its way into the house.

Shit!

I tried to run but Mush is faster than he looks. He swung one arm, the trash that composed it shifting and rearranging as it moved, giving him more reach than when he started the motion. It slammed into me and sent me tumbling back.

Damn, he hits hard.

Moving forward, he positioned himself between me and the door he came through, thoroughly blocking that exit, and putting himself within reach of the path I would need to take to get to the second one.

 **Vote pending  
**

* * *

AN: Remeber this is a quest im running on Space battles, you can vote there on the outcome.

I used dice rolls for a lot of this chapter and I've got to say, Taylor has _no_ luck.

1x d20

-Chance of meeting a cape (18 or higher) = 20

-Reroll for second cape (18 or higher) = 12

Cape encountered (highest wins)

Merchants

-Skidmark:5

-Squealer:11

-Mush:18

Initiative:

-Mush = 17

-Taylor = 1


	4. 1-3

[x] All out assault! hit him with everything you've got, and keep hitting him!

##  
 **I Burn**  
1-3

His sudden appearance had caught me by surprise but I was able to recognise him as Mush _\- There are only so many giant trash monsters in the city it could be, after all -_ , A merchant cape and third in the pecking order. I didn't know what he looked like under that armour of trash but he was currently close to eight feet tall.

Even as I watched, more trash was being pulled from across the room and adding to his form. Merchants, or just druggies in general, were not exactly know for cleanliness so he had plenty of crap to call on.

He took another swing at me and I ducked under it, dropping the bags of cash as they were just slowing me down. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt, I'd just rather not touch him if I could help it.

I tried to move towards the front door but he lashed out. Swinging wide, his body shifted to let his arm flail like a whip. I dodged to the side, swallowed my revulsion, and hit back at his chest.

My fist sank into the trash with a disgusting squelching noise, not even reaching Mush. It was like hitting a spunge. The soft trash acting like ablative armour, compacting and breaking under the impact and anything knocked loose was simply reabsorbed. _Oh god, it's wet...and warm!_

Somewhere in the garbage, Mush laughed, "Suck on it bitch! you can't hurt me!"

Emboldened, Mush pushed forward. I brought my arms up in a guard and allowed my power to absorb the impacts as he drove me against the wall, hurling insults as he did.

I couldn't hurt him but he couldn't hurt me either. I could feel the energy building but I didn't dare use it. Behind Mush, I could see part of the drug lab and a couple of the downed Merchants. If I cut loose now, the whole place would go up.

Realising he was getting nowhere, Mush combined both his arms into a single club and brought it horizontally across my arms. The impact spun me round and sent me sailing across the room. I hit the floor and rolled until the wall stopped me.

My head was still spinning as I tried to climb to my feet. Something was running into my eye, when I whipped it with my hand I realised I was bleeding. Either there was something sharp in Mush's arm or I'd hit my head when I fell.

Given the trash of his body and the state of the floor, both were bad scenarios.

It's odd how the mind works. Mush was advancing slowly, gathering more debris as he moved and I could feel my power already closing the wound. But what I really focused on, was the strands of black mixed in with the blood on my hand.

I was proud of my hair. It was long, dark and curly, like Mom's. It was the only thing about my appearance I felt was truly feminine and I spent hours taking care of it.

He'd taken a chunk out of my hair, something my power _can't_ fix…. My temper started to flare, burning away my restraint, and my eyes flashed red.

Fire burst under my feet and propelled me forwards. I reached Mush before he could get more than halfway across the room and drove my fist deep into the filth and set off another blast.

The outer layer exploded, covering the walls and me in god-knows-what, and sending him backwards. He struggled to stay upright, his armour already gathering more debris. Not giving him time to recover, I charged forwards again.

Every hit knocked more trash from his body, The cursing from inside getting more colourful and panicked as I drove him backwards until he hit the wall. He was thrashing about more, flailing in fear as I laid into him.

It wasn't enough, my blows were not getting through. In a flash of temper, I added fire to my next hit.

I smiled at Mush's scream as the flammable trash ignited, forcing him to discard much of his armour. I hit him again and again. More force, more fire.

Snarling, I pulled my fist back. I put as much power as I dared into the blow.

The old wooden wall behind Mush shattered and he came to a stop in the middle of the road, shedding armour as he rolled. In a burst of fire I was on him again, raining blows and burning away his armour. As the trash burned, it revealed a scrawny, pink skinned man.

"You fucking cum-sucking bitch! Skidmarks gonna mess you up! You can't do this!-" the tirade continued even as I pulled him free of the trash. Holding him tight with both hands, I brought my head down his with a crack and he slumped bonelessly to the ground.

I stood there, breathing heavily, my temper had finally burned itself out. I checked Mush was still breathing and ziptied his hands.

I needed to get out of here, even in this part of the city, someone would have called the police by now. As I turned back to the house, intending to collect the cash and run I realised how badly I had screwed up.

An entire wall was missing and thick black smoke was streaming through the hole as fire spread. The house was a bomb waiting to happen. It was mostly old, dry, wood and full of crap, not to mentioned the drug lab in the kitchen.

My eyes widened. _The Merchants!_

I'd left them tied up and mostly unconscious in there! This was my fault, I had to do something!

##

* * *

An: I tried to upload this a couple of days ago but FF wouldn't let me log in.


	5. 1-4

[x] Get in there! I'm probably fireproof and those people need help!

1-4

I'd done some experimenting over the last month or so. I knew I was more resistant to heat as I'd taken to gradually increasing the temperature of my showers to almost scalding hot without getting hurt.

I'd never tried it against a direct flame. I hoped someone would see the smoke and call the fire department. Tightening my scarf around my face, to protect me from the smoke, I ran back into the building through the hole in the wall.

The building was an inferno, there were dozens of small fires all over the place that were spreading quickly across the floor and smoke was quickly filling the building. Between my concussive blasts and Mush's thrashing, burning trash had been thrown all over the room and the squalid conditions had caught alight almost immediately.

Racking my brain, I tried to remember. There had been five merchants? One outside and four inside.

I could barely feel the fires around me, the heat felt like a very warm bath. I reached out and carefully put my hand into one of the nearby fires. The sleeve of my hoodie caught fire and I was quick to pat it out but my arm was fine.

 _Right, I'm fire proof but my clothes aren't._ I would need to keep that in mind, it might cause me problems later.

Pushing the thought away, I focused on what I was doing. The smoke was burning my eyes and throat, my scarf probably wasn't helping that much. I could see the fire spreading towards the kitchen where I had seen the drug lab. I was fairly certain most of that was explosive, or at the very least flammable, and I really didn't want to breath any of it in.

The first two were closest, they were still out cold but they were at least breathing, they were close to the ground so the smoke wouldn't get them yet. Further back, near the kitchen the one who had surrendered was trying to crawl to safety. Fire was starting to spread to his clothes so I ran over and snapped the zip-tie off him.

Hauling him to his feet, I pointed in the direction of the final Merchant who was still slumped against the wall and shouted for him to help.

The Merchant pushed me aside and ran for the door, leaving his friends behind.

Cursing him, I moved to pick his injured friend up, he was breathing but it sounded weak. I wasn't sure I could carry all three of them. I was strong enough to lift a grown man with ease, even without draining my energy but there was a big difference between that and three 150 pound lumps of dead weight.

Popping sounds from the kitchen warned me that I wouldn't have time to make two trips. putting the injured Merchant over my shoulder, I hoped I wasn't doing more harm. The other two were still where I left them so I picked one of them up and put him over my other shoulder.

Silently apologising, I grabbed the final Merchant by the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the hole.

My eyes were streaming and every breath felt like I was choking but I couldn't stop now. I could feel the energy I'd built up from my fight with Mush rapidly draining away as my body healed the damage the smoke was causing.

Emerging into the cool night air felt like getting dunked in ice but it had never felt sweeter.

Nearby, the Merchant who had been standing guard outside had woken up. He was on his feet and when he saw me he ran over to help, grabbing one of his friends and helping me get them to the pavement, safely away from the building.

My glasses were filthy but I could see flashing lights near the end of the road so at least I didn't need to worry about the fire spreading.

Still coughing, I realised I'd left the bags of money in the house. Mush was still out cold so at least I had something to show for the night… that had to count for something, right?

I was still lamenting the loss when a motorbike skidded to a stop nearby, closely followed by a fire truck.

"Halt evildoers!" she jumped from her bike and drew her sword and shield with a flourish. she posed briefly, probably expecting a reply of some kind. I looked around me, aside from the Merchant who had helped me get the others out, the rest were all out cold.

I glanced at the confused Merchant next to me, who shrugged.

Noticing my lack of reaction, she lowered her sword, "I'm talking about you kid…" She said with a stage whisper.

I blushed, "Wait, what?! I-I'm not a villain. Why would you think that? I'm a hero! " I protested. The Merchant made a cough that sounded like a laugh. I turned and glared at him. Stepping back, he very slowly got down on the ground and put his hands on his head.

She looked at the burning building behind me and the scattered Merchants, "The burning building was a clue… your jumper's on fire by the way." I jumped, and hurriedly patted it out.

She kept her shield ready but her sword lowered when she realised I wasn't going to attack.

"Okay, if you're not a ne'er-do-well, can you tell me why you set the building alight?"


	6. 1-5

[X] "I had Mush literally pounding me into a wall and I'm Pyro-kinetic. What am I supposed to do, drown him?"

1-5

I knew my temper wasn't quite as bad as my Dads but after everything else that had happened tonight, I guess I was just a little burned out.

"I had Mush literally pounding me into a wall and I'm a Pyro-kinetic. What am I supposed to do, drown him?" I snapped, waving my arms towards the Merchant cape.

Mouse Protectors mouth grinned widely, and she hung her sword from her hip. "I'm not sure if that would make him smell better or worse." she quipped. Tapping the side of her helmet, she started speaking to someone, I assumed it was one of the Protectorate.

She was careful to talk quietly but I managed to catch the words, "under control" and "Newbie."

Before I could protest, one of the firefighters came over to me. "I'm sorry, but we need to know if there was anybody or anything we need to know about in there."

I looked at the still awake Merchant who quickly shook his head.

"No, I got everyone out, but there was a drug lab in the kitchen."

He nodded and returned to the others, shouting orders as he went. They spread out around the building, content to keep the fire from spreading and letting the building burn itself out. This was a rough neighborhood and the house already looked condemned so there was no point taking any risks.

"Yes, look it'll be fine, no I can deal with it. Just send some people to pick Mush up. Quickly please, he really stinks." Mouse Protector was still talking on her radio. It felt a bit awkward standing around waiting like this but I wasn't sure I should just leave.

It was funny watching the different expressions on her face. Her helmet covered everything from the nose up but her mouth was surprisingly expressive and the large mouse ears were moving to match her moods.

Growling slightly, she slapped the side of her helmet, possibly a little harder than she intended. "Honestly, some people. You 'accidently misplace' Armsmaster's favorite halberd _one time_ and suddenly you can't be trusted."

Wrapping an arm around my shoulders she led me off to the side, "So, now that's taken care of Can you tell me what actually happened?"

With a sigh, I explained everything from finding the Merchants, to fighting Mush. I was careful not to tell her too much about how my powers worked and she thankfully didn't ask. I skipped the part about my hair, that was embarrassing now that I looked back on it. Instead I simply told her that Mush had managed to cut me.

She took a closer look at my face, the wound had mostly healed but there was still blood on my face.

"hmm, doesn't look like it will scar or anything, when will men learn that no means no?" she asked with a grin and I smiled at her joke.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "so, brute/blaster combination? not a bad mix," behind us, the house groaned as it collapsed, "once you get the hang of it anyway. Well let's get the boring stuff out of the way, have you considered joining the Wards?"

I had, but for now I wanted to try working on my own. "I might, but... not just yet" I hadn't even told my Dad yet.

"Yeah, I thought you would say that," her smile faded and I got the impression she was trying to be serious, "in that case, you should know that independents don't tend to last long. In this city? you'll be lucky to last 3 months. After that most are forced into a gang or outright killed."

"Is-is that what happened to Dustup?" She had been an independent that had gone after the ABB hard. she'd dropped out of sight about a month ago.

"Yea… we think Lung caught her. If she's lucky he simply killed her."

She didn't have to explain. Emma had never told me what happened when the ABB attacked her but I'd seen the scar on her face. When I'd first got my powers, I'd spent hours reading up on the ABB and what they did to people. There was nothing concrete but there were a few references to something called the Farm.

Letting out a huff, Mouse waved her arms, "Ugh, heavy air. Don't you just hate it? Oh, I forgot to ask, you got a name?"

I smiled weakly at her attempt to lighten the mood, "Umm, not really. I haven't really been able to think of anything. It's hard to find a name that doesn't make me sound like dork."

Mouse Protector Laughed, "Yeah, all the good names are taken… I know! If you joined the Wards we could call you the Mouseketeer! we could even get you a matching costume, It'll be great! None of the others have their own minions. Think of all the fun we could have, a dynamic duo! Even Halbutt wouldn't dare mess with us!-"

As she continued I struggled not to laugh _\- too much anyway. -_ Even knowing her reputation I'd still expected her to be more serious yet she was practically bouncing with barely contained energy. I wondered if it was all an act of if she really was like this all the time.

By the time she finished, I was openly laughing.

"So, what do you say? Partners?" Mouse Protector said with a grin.

Still smiling, I shook my head, "I'll think about it,"

"Alright, just remember, don't take life too seriously. And stay safe."

Nodding, I turned away from the hero and jogged down the street. Once I had enough distance I kicked off, using a blast of fire to propel myself upwards. Being in the air made me feel a bit better about what had happened.

I hadn't meant for the fire but thankfully no one had been hurt. The loss of the money was a blow, but I'd managed to catch Mush and meet Mouse Protector so I'd still call tonight a win. Thinking about it, I was now two for two against capes. Sure, Mush was low tier, but Stormtiger balanced that out.

As I bounced off another roof my thoughts turned to Emma, maybe I should tell her? Maybe it would help her feel better.


	7. Int: Red Like Roses

[x] Interlude: Red Like Roses

* * *

Victoria Dallon, also known as the hero Summer Rose flicked through her note book. The assignment wasn't too difficult but the professor was a stickler for clearly marked references. Beside her, her sister Amy was complaining about some of the cities vigilante capes.

"I mean, does she even know just how much damage those arrows can cause? He nearly lost his life, never mind his arm."

"Uh-huh" She underlined a comment she had missed

"Vicky, are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Amy gave her a look and vicky rolled her eyes, "Shadow Stalker nailed another guy to a wall and the hospital had you up at the crack of dawn to save his life."

Satisfied her sister was listen, Amy huffed, "When is the PRT going to do something about her? This is third time and I could swear she's getting worse."

"It happens. Professor Wallis called the indie-cape life cycle. It goes something like; they get powers and start playing hero. As time goes on, they get more aggressive and violent until they either end up dead, forced into a gang or the PRT."

"Huh, makes sense I suppose."

"Yeah, not everyone can be as awesome as us after all. Oh, I'm going on a quick patrol after school, want to come Ames?"

Her sister winced, "Sorry, I've made plans to meet up with Lori."

"Ooh really~? Maybe I should tag along and keep an eye on you."

"Vicky… Please…"

"No, no. I think it's great, really," watching the pair of them dance shyly around each other was just adorable, "I just wish I'd found out sooner, I wouldn't have kept setting you up with all those boys."

Finding out her sisters preference had been a bit of a shock but she'd gotten over it. Now it was her duty to tease her sister at every opportunity. Although, she kinda wished she'd found out in a different way. No one wants to see their sister doing that.

"It's not like that. I don't even think Lori is into girls…"

"That'd be why her eyes are glued to your ass whenever you turn around?" Vicky quipped, "Maybe you should ask if she wants to play nurse?"

"Oh like you're one to talk! Have you seen the latest PHO rumors? Someone caught your last fight with Rune on camera." Amy shot back.

Vicky grimaced and put her face in her hands, "What are those freaks saying now? I swear, as soon as I find the idiot who started that rumor I'm going to kill Clockblocker!"

"Why would you kill _Clockblocker_?"

"Because we both know it was probably him who started it."

"That picture didn't help."

"It was a headbutt! I couldn't get my hands free!"

Amy was openly laughing while Vicky's protests got more heated, "Oh come on! you know it was, you patched her up after all!"

##

Vicky was still irritated at her sister when she ducked into the school changing room and slipped her costume on.

One badly, or well, depending on your point of view, timed photo made it onto PHO and now she couldn't get near the little racist without someone making a comment. Still, she took some solace from the fact that the jokes and rumors had to be pissing the Nazi off more than her.

Putting her bag down she started to get dress.

A black body sock went on first, and over that she wore a white and gold top that also doubled as a short skirt. A pair of combat boots and a short, black leather jacket with gold trim finished everything off.

Her Mom had been against the design at first, she felt Vicky should have gone with something more traditional but Victoria had been adamant. Yes, she was a member of New Wave but she was still her own person and she spent more time running solo than working with her family and her costume should represent that.

The last thing she pulled from her bag was her weapon, the force staff.

at the moment, it looked like a short metal pipe with a large ornamental weight on both ends. the whole thing was tinker-tech and it could extend into a pole-arm. The weighted ends were what gave it the name. Each one contained a Kinetic regulator, so it could still break brute's bones without splattering softer targets.

Clipping the weapon to her belt she made her way up to the roof.

The force lance came from toybox and had been and bit of a necessity caused by her powers. She was a brute, increased strength and durability combined. The problem came in with her mover power. She could run really fast over short distances, combine that with super strength and things could get… messy. (Nobody needed that wall anyway.)

Standing at one end of the school roof, she sprinted forwards, building up as much momentum as she could and lept. It wasn't really flight but she could cover most of the city in minutes this way.

##

Hitting the ground, she rolled to a stop and ignored the 'petals' that always accompanied her mover power. They weren't really petals, they had no substance and faded before they hit the ground.

It had taken a few jumps and a couple of well timed ricochets but she was close to Empire territory. Some new indie had put Stormtiger down last week and she was hoping to run into them.

Despite her reputation, she could be discrete when she wanted to be. Running across the rooftops the few Empire thugs she did spot never knew she was there.

Just as she was getting bored, she paused on a rooftop and considered picking a fight with the next banger she saw when she heard the sounds of a fight. Smirking to herself, she quickly made her way towards the commotion.

##

On a roof overlooking an empty lot between some run down buildings, she watched as a girl ran rings around a group of Empire thugs.

She was wearing black pants and a loose white shirt. Her forearms were wrapped in black cloth and despite her boots having more heel than Vicky thought sensible they didn't appear to be slowing her down. Her dark hair was flying loose, held in place by a large bow.

Extending her staff, she jumped from the roof. The weighted tip glowed as it drew in energy from the movement. Landing hard enough to kick up a cloud of dust, she charged forwards.

She caught the first thug in the stomach, folding him over and sending him sprawling. The other girl glanced back at her, recognising Vicky as a hero she turned her attention back to the Empire.

Fighting held a thrill that most people couldn't understand. When your blood was pumping and the world went white it was… well, it was intense. Some capes lost themselves to it, looking for bigger and better fights until someone or something put them down.

While Vicky was a self admitted thrill seeker, she knew enough to keep herself safe. Crossing the lot in a shower of petals, she put another ganger down. Watching the other cape, she was experienced enough to spot someone who'd had training.

Her movements were fast and confident and Vicky suspected she was either a precog or had some form of enhanced senses as none of the gangers could land a solid hit. Before Vicky could shout a warning, one of the thugs managed to get a lucky shot in with a metal bat. It hit the other girl's head with a resounding clang.

The bat passed _through_ her head, carrying with it a copy of the girl that fell to the ground while the other spun and lashed out with a well placed kick. As he fell, the copy vanished.

Spotting movement in the corner of her eye, Vicky quickly brought her staff round on the idiot trying to sneak up on her. There was a crack of breaking bones and he went down clutching his arm.

Getting the hint, the remaining gangers finally lost their nerve and ran.

Letting them go, Vicky walked over to the other girl, "Well, that was fun. I'm Vicky, and you are?"

The other girl was shorter than her Vicky noticed, even with the heels. She was also wearing a large domino mask that covered quite a bit of her face.

"Belladonna. It's nice to meet you?" The girl sounded a bit confused, most were when Victoria happily introduced herself by her real name.

Vicky snorted in amusement, "Great, Summer Rose, Belladonna. Think we can find a couple more for a full bouquet?"

Belladonna still looked confused, but her mouth twitched upward slightly. She opened her mouth like she was about to say something when her phone rang and she cursed quietly to herself.

"I'm sorry, I've got to..." she indicated her phone and Vicky nodded.

"Sure, don't worry about it. I'll call this lot in. Oh! Next time you wanna beat up some nazis give me a shout, I use the same name on PHO."

Nodding, Belladonna took off towards the nearest building. She jumped off the wall to grab the fire escape and flipped herself upwards. It took three jumps to clear the building but the agility she displayed had to be from her power.

Vicky doubted Belladonna was the one to bring Storm Tiger down. From what Dean had said, he'd been beaten down with brute force. Bella seemed to favour evasion and counter attacks.

Still, a dozen Empire thugs were off the streets and a possible plus one friend. Today was definitely a win.


	8. 2-1

"98… 99… 100!" With a grunt I let myself fall backwards, I'd been doing sit-ups in my basement. When I first got my powers, I'd started jogging every morning to get more in shape. When I realised they included increased stamina and regeneration, I'd increased my workout.

One of the many things I had intended to buy was some weights. Until then, I was making do with sit-ups and an old curtain rail I'd hung from the exposed beams in the basement ceiling. Getting to my feet, I grabbed the bar and pulled myself up.

"1… 2… 3…"

Counting to myself, I let my mind wonder. So far, I'd had mixed success as a hero. I'd taken out both Stormtiger and Mush, but in both cases I'd actually failed what I'd set out to do. The fight with the empire could be excused, I'd gone there looking for cash but when I saw those girls I knew my priorities would have to change.

"29… 30… 31…"

The real mistake was losing my temper with Mush. I should have paid more attention to just [i]where[/i] we were fighting. I could have put him through the wall without to much bother, taking the fight outside before I started setting things on fire.

"40… 41… 42…"

I wanted to be a hero but before that, I needed money. Every fight had destroyed parts of my costume, if jeans and a hoodie could even be called that. The burning house had made me realise that I needed a cell phone. I couldn't count on the PRT just turning up when I needed them.

If I was honest, these thoughts were just trying to distract me from my real life. School was still going badly, Sophia was getting more aggressive now the black eye had faded. I really didn't want a repeat, now that I had powers I was liable to take her head off. It was starting to affect my grades.

Sometimes I worried I was starting to resent Emma. My grades had been good enough for Arcadia but I'd chosen Winslow because I wanted to be with her. Then she'd dropped out of school and left the city.

Growling at myself, I pushed those thoughts away. Emma hadn't asked to be attacked, I shouldn't blame her. Dad has already filed the transfer paperwork. With any luck, if I can keep myself out of trouble and my grades up I should be in Arcadia by the end of the year.

"98… 99… 100!"

Dropping down, I let my hands hang by my side while the letting the burn fade. My regeneration was useful and weird at the same time. I wasn't like lung, who could apparently regrow entire limbs in minutes if he was riled up enough. Left alone, I healed maybe twice as fast as normal but I could supercharge it by burning the energy I absorbed. It also meant I didn't have to deal with strained muscles.

Making my way up stairs, I decided to take a shower. Stripping off and dumping my workout clothes into the basket I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror.

I still felt like I was too tall but at least I was starting to fill out. between the heavy workouts and my healing there was clear definition on my arms and legs and even the faint signs of a six pack. I didn't want to get too bulky but I was starting to feel a bit better about my looks.

##

I was just getting dressed where there was a knock on the door. Cursing, I quickly pulled my top on and ran downstairs. Normally, I would be unsure about answering the door, this wasn't the safest neighborhood anymore and we didn't get many visitors after Mom died. But it's not like I needed to worry about getting attacked at door. Anyone who tried [i]that[/i] was in for a nasty shock.

I was still smiling at that image when I pulled the door open, "Hello, can I help...you… Emma!"

I had one brief glimpse of her face before I practically threw myself at her. I felt her body tense as I hugged her and I belatedly realised what I was doing. Before I could let her go, she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"H-hey Taylor!" it sounded like she was trying not to cry and I could feel myself starting to choke.

It was silly I know, we spoke all the time online and called each other regularly. But seeing her here in person was different, more real.

I don't know how long we stood there but eventually I lead her into the house.

"What are you doing here!? Are you okay to leave the house? I thought you were still up state with your aunt! is this just a visit or are you staying, are you coming back to school?"

"Breathe Taylor, breathe." Emma laughed.

I blushed when I realised I'd been rambling. It had been awhile since I did that. I'd always been a bit of a chatterbox, something that had changed when Emma left.

Sitting at the kitchen table, she tried to answer my questions, "Yes, I'm okay to leave the house. No, it's not just a visit, I've moved back in with my parents. As for school…"

She rubbed her arms, she was wearing a long sleeve shirt. I remembered her arms being bandaged when I saw her last.

"I… I can't. I'm sorry but large crowds still freak me out. I can handle a shopping trip if I'm careful but I'm not sure I could ever handle school."

It was disappointing she wouldn't be coming back to school but at least we could hang out again.

"When did you get back?" I asked.

Flinching, she looked away from me, "about two months ago now."

I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach, I could feel myself starting to choke again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-It wasn't like that. At first it was just day trips, spending a day here to see if I could handle it. then a few days, followed by a week. It was only two weeks ago that I, decided I would be okay to come home."

I suppose I couldn't really blame her. Before the attack, Emma had been confident and outgoing. At about the same time I started getting taller she started filling out. It had been infuriating if im honest.

After the attack, I'd only seen Emma a couple of times before her parents sent her to live with her aunt. She'd been a mess, both her arms were wrapped in bandages, from the palms of her hands to her elbows. she'd told me later it was because of 'defensive wounds'. She'd had an eye patch at the time and the doctors were worried she would lose her eye. Even her hair had been cut short by the hospital.

Once she came back from the hospital, she barely left her room for weeks and never left the house. Finally, her parents had sent her to an aunt who lived in a small town out of state. No crowds, no crime. Just lots of space.

The time away had clearly done her a lot of good. Her clothes were tight enough to show off a great figure and the cut on her face had healed well, leaving only a faint scar over her eye. She was still pale but she didn't look sickly any more. She'd grown her hair back out too. it wasn't as long as mine, but it had some wave to it.

"So…" Emma said in an effort to break the silence, "what have you really been up to? Is that girl still bothering you?"


	9. 2-2

[ ] The Truth - Tell Emma everything, she's been your best friend since you were kids and maybe she can help.

* * *

"So…" Emma said in an effort to break the silence, "what have you really been up to? Is that girl still bothering you?"

"Sophia?... Yeah, she is…" I shook my head, "honestly, it doesn't matter any more. I'm trying to transfer to Arcadia and… well… I have other things to worry about now."

Did I really want to tell Emma this? If she reacted badly I wasn't sure what I would do. Emma gave me a questioning look, the same one she had given me when Mom died. Just patiently waiting for me to tell her what I needed.

If I didn't tell her and she found out later… I'm not sure what that would do to her.

"Emma… I need- I mean, can I tell you something?" I asked quietly.

"Taylor… I know…" Emma said softly, putting her hand on mine, "I know you hated that dress but it's been years, you need let it go."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing, setting Emma off, which only made me laugh harder.

I did eventually calm down, "No! That's not what I wanted to talk about!"

"You're not coming out to me are you?" she grinned widely, "cause I don't think I could handle a relationship at the moment."

Aaand we were off again.

"But no, seriously Emma." I forced myself to calm down. "I'm a cape."

The mood in the room changed instantly, the smile dropped from Emma's face and she looked devastated.

She threw her arms around me and pulled me close, "Oh Taylor, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

She clung to me, apologising constantly. I realised she was trembling and put my arms round her.

"Can you tell me about it?" the question was almost inaudible. "Was it that girl?" She asked, her voice going hard.

"No, well not completely."

Slowly, I started to tell her everything. I didn't mean to, I tried to just stick to the facts but soon I found myself telling her everything.

After Emma had left, I'd found myself alone at school. The small circle of people I'd known had been more Emma's friends than mine and without her, they had slowly drifted away.

I was always a bit shy and struggled to make friends. Eventually, I just stuck to my own company. Eventually, there had been a few people I'd formed tentative friendships with.

Then Sophia had turned up.

I don't know what set her off, I spent hours trying to work it out only to come up with nothing. It had been small things at first, dirty looks and muttered comments. Slowly, it moved onto more physical attacks. Belongings started to go missing, even homework.

I tried to ignore her, to not react in the hope she would get bored. Instead, she simply escalated, bumping into me in the halls or trying to trip me as I passed.

Following her lead, other people started to join in and the few 'friends' I had quickly cut ties.

Rumors started circulating, most of them were stupid. In the space of a month I went from being a member of the Empire 88 to a Merchant whore. The prostitution rumors were the most persistent and I was approached a few times by boys who wanted my 'services'.

behind it all, was Sophia. I could always see her, just standing nearby with that same smirk on her face.

I tried telling the school but they didn't want to listen. Sophia was pretty, popular and the star of the school's track team. Winslow was a shit-hole and the sports teams were all it had left to be proud of so they took her side. Always with the same excuse, 'lack of proof'.

Sophia was a thug but she was smart enough to never do something where a teacher could see.

It had all come to a head about a month ago.

I'd taken my mother's flute to school. I'd planned to talk to the music teacher about lessons as I wanted to learn how to play it. I'd left it in my locker to keep it from getting damaged. When I went back for it that afternoon, it had gone.

I'd been frantic, I pulled everything out of my locked, revisited every class I'd been to that day and even turned my bag inside out.

"What's the matter Herbert, lose something?"

I was digging through my locker for the second time when she'd spoken. I had my back to her but I knew she had that same fucking smirk. She never saw the punch coming.

I'd turned and crossed the hall before she could move, driving my fist into her face with as much force as I could. Before I could even think about what I'd done, Sophia had been on me.

There's a myth held by teenage boys and hollywood that two girls fighting was 'hot'. Filled with hair pulling and clothes tearing.

In reality, it was just like any other fight. Short, brutal and dirty.

Sophia tacked me to the ground while I punched, kicked and scratched at anything I could reach. The only thing I cared about, the one thought in my head, was that I wasn't hurting her, that I needed to hit harder.

I was still screaming when the teachers pulled us apart and the PE teacher had been forced to wrap his arms around me to hold me still. It was only as I calmed down I realised, with a dark sense of amusement, that Sophia's top had torn and she was now giving half the school a free show.

Emma snorted in amusement when I repeated the story to her.

In the end, I had came off worse. Sophia clearly knew how to fight. Torn clothes aside, and black eye and a bloody nose was the best I'd done. In my case, my glasses were broken and I could feel bruises forming across most of my upper body and one of my ankles was swollen.

we were dragged to the principal's office where we waited for Dad and Sophia's Mom. I told them about the flute and Dad had been livid but after all the shouting was done there was still no proof.

In the end, Winslow had suspended us both and I hadn't been back since. I triggered two days later when a pair of Empire thugs tried to mug me.

After I finally ran out of things to say, we sat in silence until Emma's curiosity got the better of her.

"So, what are your powers? Do you have a name yet?"

"I'm a Dynakinetic… Sorta. I absorb energy that I can then use to make myself stronger or create fire. And no, I haven't been able to think of a name. I've been out a couple of times though, I think I've done quite well so far." I finished proudly.

The two of us lapsed into silence after that...

"Do you need a partner?" Emma asked suddenly. "In that alleyway… One minute, I was on the ground, the knife sliding down my face," she pointed at her scar, "The next, I rolled to the side and ended up laying besides myself."

She rubbed her arms, "I never told anyone. For the longest time I was scared they would force me into the Wards if I did, make me fight people. I spent most of my time away practicing. Just getting used to my power. I never intended to use it but during one of my visits home I saw a guy beating up his girlfriend. I guess I snapped. He never even saw me coming." She chuckled quietly.

"One minute, he's got her by the hair, the next, I've got him by the throat. After that, when I came home I would sneak out and go looking for trouble. I've been doing it for nearly two months now. I even got to meet Summer Rose the other night. I create doubles of myself that can take a hit for me. I even have enhanced agility and some other tricks to go with it."

"Really? I met Mouse Protector. She was there when I caught Mush."

"You've fought other capes?" she asked with excitement.

"Yeah, Stormtiger third night out and Mush last week." I said with a touch more pride, it almost felt like we were kids again, hiding from my dad and swapping secrets.

"You should have been there the first time _I caught fire_ ," I laughed. The first time I let the energy build up my hair auto-ignited. I'd been forced to throw the hoody away and hope dad never asked me about the smell.

As I repeated the story, Emma was laughing so hard she was nearly crying.

She held out her hand, "so what do you say. Partners?"


	10. 2-3

[ ] Start slow, find some merchants and double team them.

* * *

We were still making plans when Dad came home.

"Emma? It's good to see you. Are you staying long?" Dad said. I knew he'd been worrying about my lack of friends.

"Yeah, I've moved back home and I couldn't wait to see Taylor."

"Actually Dad, would it be alright if Emma stayed the night?" I asked, feeling like I was six again.

Dad just chuckled, "Sure kiddo, do you need to get anything from Emma's place?"

In the end, Dad drove us back to Emma's so she could grab a change of clothes and her nightwear, both sets of it. On the way back, Dad stopped to get us some pizza and when we got home we made ourselves comfortable in the living room.

Dad sat with us for an hour or so before excusing himself to give us some time together. I could hear the TV in his bedroom so I knew he wasn't asleep.

We were still giggling at our latest movie when I realised how Emma was sitting. She was upside down on the sofa with her head hanging off the edge and her legs twisted at an odd angle.

"Geeze Emma, do you have a slinky for a spine?" I asked.

Emma laughed but there was a faint blush on her cheeks, "kinda, I started exercising to deal with… well, you know. Turns out I'm really flexible," she said with a pointed look.

Huh, enhanced agility came with flexibility? That made some sense.

"I'm not sure you could reach my level but here, I'll show you some stretches that should help."

Clearing some room, Emma slowly lead me through some simple stretches she insisted would make me more flexible over time.

As Emma stretched her back, I felt my eyes drawn towards her chest. I couldn't help it, she had always been top heavy and as she nearly folded herself in half I was amazed she didn't pop a button.

"Show off," I muttered with more than a little envy.

When it started to get late, Emma I moved up to my bedroom. Once we were sure Dad was asleep, we got changed into our 'costumes'

Emma's looked great, the black and white clothing really suited her and the mask did a good job of covering up her scar. Combined with the black wig and bow that looked almost like cat ears, she was almost unrecognisable.

By comparison she made me made me feel scruffy in my old jeans and slightly burned hoodie.

"We really need to get you a costume," Emma said as I wrapped my scarf around my head. "Why don't you put your hood up or something?"

"I know, but I can't afford anything better. I can't cover my head with anything because it would just catch fire when my hair starts burning," I explained.

"Hmm… I know, let's go raid the Merchants, once we've got some cash I can help you design a costume!" Emma lit up at the idea. She'd wanted to be a model when we were younger and her fashion sense had always been good.

Sneaking out of the house, we quickly made our way across the rooftops. I had to be careful with my blasts to not knock her off balance. While she couldn't propel herself like I could, her enhanced speed and agility meant we could still move fast.

Moving across the rooftops was a novel experience, Emma was incredibly fast and agile, bouncing from roof to roof quickly while I could cover larger distances in less jumps.

Emma had being doing this a bit longer than me but I was more familiar with the gang's than she was so I led the way. We started at the house I'd destroyed the other night and worked our way outwards.

Emma hadn't made a comment when she saw the house but I could see her trying to hide a smile. Ignoring her, I lead us towards the old train yard. While the Merchants didn't really hold territory for long you could usually find them around there.

What we eventually found was an old warehouse close to the train yard. The doors and windows had been bored up but Emma spotted people hanging around by the doors and we could both see light seeping through the boards on the windows.

Emma moved like a ghost as she lead us past the guards and up onto the warehouse roof. there were some skylights scattered around and we carefully crept up to one. Below us, there was a drug factory in full operation.

Rows of tables stretched across the floor, beakers and jury rigged equipment covered half of them while the rest were covered with drugs in various states of completion. Further down, I could see a team of people packaging everything up

"Why are they _naked?_ " I asked. The people gathered round the tables had been stripped down to just their underwear.

"Security," Emma whispered, "So they can't steal anything, nowhere to hide it. See over there? Im guessing those are the guards. They're probably more focused on the workers than anything else."

Shifting slightly, I could see what she meant. Not to far away from the packaging was a pair of Merchants, one had a bat in his hands while the other was playing with what looked like an old shotgun.

"I see at least a dozen guards and one gun, how about you?"

"Four guns, twenty guards," Emma corrected, "there is a couple in the shadows and the one by the door keeps checking on his gun."

"Think we can handle this?"

"Maybe… I'm a bit worried about the guns, I'm not bulletproof."

I grinned, "I am. I can go in first to get their attention and draw their fire."

Emma nodded, "Alright, I'll start on the outside and work my way in."

With that, Emma slunk away into the shadows. It was only as I lost sight of her I realised we had no way to communicate. Cursing myself, I counted slowly to sixty. Hopefully, that would give Emma time to get into position.

As I counted, I moved towards a different skylight. The guards would probably open fire as soon as they saw me and I didn't expect them to care about any of the workers who got in the way.

 _What the hell am I doing?!_ I've been a cape for little over a month and here I was, about to use myself as the target for trigger happy Merchants! Shaking my head at the absurdity, I jumped, slamming my feet into the skylight.

The old glass shattered, raining down around me as I fell the three stories to the ground below.

I landed with enough force to crack the concrete, my power drawing in the energy from the impact. There was a moment of stunned silence then the Merchant with the shotgun fired.

My arms were already in front of my face and I felt the pellets slam into me. I made no attempt to move as every Merchant in the building followed suit. The unarmed workers ran for the exit and I really hoped Emma could deal with them.

The gunfire stopped and I realised they were out of ammo. Not giving them a chance to reload, I swung my arms backwards and fired a blast that propelled me forwards. I grabbed the shotgun and pulled it from the Merchants unresisting fingers.

A single punch laid him out and I snapped the gun over my knee.

"Shit, cape!" one of the Merchants shouted and sprinted for the door. Just as he reached it, Emma came through. Grabbing the Merchant, she spun him round and slammed him into the wall. He slid to the ground with a groan and stayed there.

"What are you waiting for! Stop them!" Another Merchant shouted. He was big, nearly six foot with his long hair pulled into a low ponytail and his clothes looked liked they were from a brand name.

I guessed he was either a lieutenant in the Merchant's or a dealer/supplier that had been absorbed into the Merchant's.

Emma charged forwards, focusing on the leader while I moved to disarm another. As I blasted forwards, Emma passed in front of me and I realised I wouldn't be able to stop in time.

Thankfully, Emma saw me coming. I collided with and then through her, carrying one of her clones with me as she quickly regained her footing. I ended up going face first to the ground.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry!" I shouted as I climbed to my feet. The Merchant I'd been targeting had bolted and so had the leader.

The remaining Merchants advanced slowly, trying to box us in. As soon as they were close enough, Emma jumped. Cloning herself, she used her double as a springboard to land outside the ring ricocheting off the ground with a handspring to land lightly on her feet

With Emma clear, I slammed my fist into the ground. The wave of force knocking them back, and several off their feet.

While I dealt with them, Emma charged a Merchant who was fumbling to reload his revolver. It was snub nosed thing and she reached him before he'd even managed to get a single bullet in.

She pummelled the Merchant with a quick, complicated series of punches that left him sprawled out on the ground and moved on.

Something drew Emma's attention and she threw herself backwards, turning the movement into a series of flips. There was a bang, loud enough to rattle the windows, and her clone hit the ground.

Near what had once been an office, the Merchant leader was resting an anti-materiel rifle on the metal railings, chambering another round. He aimed at Emma who sprinted towards the remains of the building's original shelving.

Throwing the Merchant I was holding away, my temper flared. The ground under me exploded as I charged forwards. Seeing me coming, he swung the rifle 'round and fired. The shot hit me in the shoulder, spinning me 'round as my power struggled to absorb the energy.

Ignoring my now bruised shoulder, I grabbed the table next to me and threw it as hard as I could at him. He dove to the side, dropping his rifle as the table crashed against his hiding place.

Before he could stand up, Emma dropped out of the shadows, driving a stun gun into his side and pulling the trigger.

Ignoring his screams, I turned to the few remaining Merchants, "anyone else?!"

A couple dropped to their knees, hands behind their heads. The rest just ran and I let them go, they weren't worth chasing.

While Emma zip tied the leader, I walked into his office. I ignored the gun on the table and his personal staff of drugs. What really had my attention was the piles of cash, mostly large bills. It looked like he'd been sorting it when we broke in as most of it was arranged in neat stacks.

I was just shovelling it into some discarded bags when Emma stuck her head into the room.

"Skidmark and Squealer just pulled up. We need to go, now!"


	11. 2-4

I was just shovelling the money into some discarded bags when Emma stuck her head into the room.

"Skidmark and Squealer just pulled up. We need to go, now!"

Cursing, I threw the last of the money into the bag. We weren't ready for this, Skidmark wasn't a threat but who knew what Squealer had with her. Tinkers were dangerous and I wasn't ready to try my powers against Tinker-tech weapons.

I'd just left the office when the far wall exploded and Squealers latest creation burst into the building, looking like something from an old post-apocalyptic movie.

It looked like it had once been an old pickup before Squealer got her hands on it. The whole thing had been raised to make way for the monster-truck sized wheels. Armour had been welded across the chassis and a pair of large machine guns were mounted to the roof. The engine was so loud I could feel it in my chest, - _How did we not hear it coming?  
_

I was still staring open mouthed when it spun on the spot and the roof mounted guns swiveled to aim at us. A hatch opened on the roof and a dark skinned man in a "wife-beater" vest and a mask that covered the top of his head, climbed up.

"You motherfucking cum-guzzlers think you can mess with me!?" He shouted, "Squealer! Fuck these bitches up!"

The guns fired and Emma dived for cover in the manager's office and I moved to cover her. The first round hit me in the back, the pain was incredible and I staggered forwards. Straightening up, I tried to tank the other shots only for Emma to tackle me to the ground.

Rolling us over, I put myself over her as more rounds tore through the thin walls. A few more hit me but they hurt less each time.

The gunfire stopped and I risked getting to my knees and crawling to the door, Emma moved gingerly to behind me . A large cannon had risen out of the trucks bed and was taking aim at the office.

 _Fuck!_

Jumping up, I charged the far wall. The old brickwork gave way with the first blow and Emma and I dived through the hole just before the cannon fired.

"Run!" I shouted over the noise as the warehouse exploded behind us. I shoved a bag of cash into Emma's hands. "The rooftops!"

There was a fire escape on the nearest building, Emma ran on ahead and in three neat jumps vanished over the top. Jumping, I used the biggest blast I dared to propel myself upwards. The landing wasn't graceful but it gave me a bit more charge.

There was a small wall that ran round the rooftop and we ducked behind it to see if we were being followed.

"T-tay," Emma gasped between breaths, "Are you... Okay?"

My back was aching and I'm sure I was bleeding but it wasn't anything that wouldn't heal given time. "I'll be fine. Do you think they'll give up?"

Squealers truck smashed through the warehouse wall, the roof mounted guns already spinning to point at us.

"Nope!"

With a roar, the truck raced for the building we were hiding on. its speed making it rise up on its rear wheels. There was a crunch as the truck started to drive _up_ the wall. - _Fucking Tinkers!-_

Emma cursed as it tore its way up the building, crushing the fire escape as it rose.

Turning, we both ran for the far edge. behind us, there was a crash as the truck cleared the roof and opened fire.

Emma and I split up, running in different directions. Reaching the edge of the roof first, Emma jumped, creating and dispelling copies to shield her from gun fire. Blasting myself into the air, I felt more bullets slam into my back. They still hurt but they were doing less damage.

My landing on the next roof was rough, the gun fire putting me off balance forced me to roll to a stop. Diving behind a raised section, I tried to catch my breath. I'd lost sight of Emma but I could still hear gunfire so she had to be close.

Putting the bag of cash I'd been carrying down, I carefully leaned sideways.

The truck was spinning on the spot, turning like a tank. The roof mounted weapons were focused on a dark shape I assumed was Emma. The roof she'd landed on had little cover and she was being forced to create copy after copy.

Boosted stamina or not, she couldn't keep that up. Leaving the cash and climbing to my feet, I moved towards the far edge of the roof. This wasn't a good plan and acting recklessly had gotten mixed success so far.

I charged forwards, jumping at the last second and using a blast to propel me forwards. I could feel the heat as my hair burst into flames, - _This ends now!-_

I landed on the roof just as the truck was spinning to face me and I used small blasts from my feet to dance from one side to the next. I ignored the few shots that did connect, to focused on what I was doing to feel the pain.

Calling up all the fire I could, I drove my hand into the side of truck. The heat and concussive force buckled the armour on the side and force the whole thing sideways. I almost laughed when a small hatch opened and a set of hidden flamethrowers tried to torch me.

I Ducked under the truck, sinking my hand into a beam and started punching wildly at the undercarriage. Above, there was a clatter as Emma landed on the truck roof. She drove a metal pole she'd grabbed into the joints around the guns and pushed down, tearing the gun loose from its fitting.

Inside the truck, there was more cursing as I managed to put a blast through the metal. The trucks wheels screamed as Squealer floored it. I wasn't strong enough to stop it and was dragged halfway across the roof before I let go.

As they tore past, I took a shoot at one of the wheels, causing it to burst and the truck to skid. It hit the low wall that circled the roof with a crunch. Blasting forwards, I hit the truck with everything I could, rocking it sideways. The wall gave way and the truck went over the edge.

The noise the truck made when it hit the floor was horrifying, a loud metallic popping noise, like the worst auto-accident i'd ever heard. Rushing forwards, for one terrifying moment I was afraid we'd killed them.

Leaning over the remain of the wall, I could faintly hear cursing and door, buckled and warped was blasted off the side of the truck. Skidmark climbed out and fell to his knees where he was promptly sick, behind him Squealer pulled herself out of the wreck. One of her arms was hurt but she turned to look up at as and started screaming insults so I assumed she'd be okay.

Breathing a little easier, I could hear sirens in the distance.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Emma suggested and I nodded in agreement. We stopped only briefly to grab the bag I'd dropped. Between the pair of us, we'd managed to save both bags so I'd call tonight a win.


	12. 2-5

**[x] Training - Your best friends but your team work needs to be improved.**

It was early in morning by the time we got home so we decided to sleep in. Before going to bed, I stuffed the bags of cash into the back of my wardrobe where Dad wouldn't accidently find them.

After the first time he found one of my bras in the wash, Dad tended to leave the laundry to me. Even if he did put a load on, he never tried to iron anything of mine or risk putting it away so the money should be safe for now.

By the time I woke, Dad had gone to work and Emma was already up. She was in the living room with the curtains pulled and working her way through a series of stretches. _Slinky for a spine, I swear._

"Wanna join me?" Emma asked. She was wearing the sweatpants and tank top she'd grabbed from home yesterday and I could see the faint scar lines on her arms.

"Sure. Just let me get dressed." I quickly went back to my room and changed into my jogging clothes.

Joining her in the living room, I followed her through the same exercises she'd show me yesterday.

"Y'know," I grunted as I tried to copy her movement, "we really need to talk about last night."

Emma let out a sigh and bent backwards, making her sound a little weird, "Yeah, I know. It didn't exactly go to plan."

"Don't know about you, but I'm getting used to that. No I was thinking more of us getting in each other's way. I think we rushed things a bit last night, we need to sit down and think how best to use our powers," I glanced over at Emma and saw that she'd made a spirited attempt to turn herself into a pretzel "…Do you do this every morning?"

Emma had made an odd shrugging motion, hampered slightly by her pose, of course. "What do you normally do?"

"Jog, sit ups, pull ups. that sort of thing."

She straightened herself out and took a deep breath, "I think you're right… Do you still want to go jogging? Then later today, we can try to find someplace to try working on our powers?"

"Sounds good to me, you okay to jog in what you are wearing or do you need to borrow something?"

"Just give, me a sec to put on a top and I'll be fine."

##

"It wasn't that funny!" Emma said with a huff, as we came back into the house after our run.

Emma's idea of a top had been long enough to cover her arms but tight enough that a cyclist passing in the opposite direction had actually slowed down and stared. He'd been so busy staring that he ridden directly into the back end of a bus.

I'd been laughing so much I had barely been able to make it home.

"Oh come on, I'd kill to get a reaction like that!"

"Honestly, Tay, there's nothing wrong with the way you look. You just need to dress better. First chance we get, I'm dragging you shopping."

I fought down the sudden shiver of fear. Emma wouldn't do anything too extreme… I hoped.

##

Finding a place to train had been fairly easy. With the economy failing, the city was full of abandoned buildings that we could use.

We picked an old warehouse not too far away from the ship graveyard and forced the door open. Technically, this was ABB territory, but there was nothing of value nearby so the gangs had more or less abandoned the area. There was a Merchant marker on the wall outside, but we weren't too worried about that.

Finding an out of the way corner where I couldn't been seen, I quickly slipped on my costume. It was really starting to look threadbare and worn by this point. A real costume and some equipment was becoming more of a priority.

By the time I was ready, Emma had already changed.

She gave me a considering look, "Have you considered contacts? Having to wear your glasses can't be a good idea."

I shrugged, "I did on my first night, but they really hurt my eyes."

"Hmm, well, something else to consider I suppose. So, how about some sparring to start off with?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Okay, but no explosions. Some of us aren't fireproof." Emma said with a grin.

We took up positions, standing at opposite sides of the room. I took a deep breath, then charged.

My first blow impacted a clone, which vanished at the hit, while the real Emma ducked under my swing and grabbed my arm. Using the leverage, she tried to throw me. Hitting the ground knocked the air out of me but I recovered quickly and jumped to my feet.

We continued on in the same way for awhile. Emma couldn't do enough harm to really put me down - _not that she was really trying to_ \- And she was just fast enough to dodge my blows, which she did constantly with a grace that bordered on infuriating. On the odd occasion that I did manage to hit her, she let a clone take the hit.

I was fairly confident I could have taken her if I'd been allowed to use my fire.

After nearly five minutes of this, Emma called a halt. Neither of us were really tired - _yay for enhanced stamina._

"Tay… Don't take this the wrong way, but you really can't fight, can you?" she asked, looked torn between guilty and amused.

I felt myself blush. "I make do." I protested.

"Yeah, but it's clear you don't have any real training."

"Oh, and you do?" I shot back hotly. I'd planned to take some self defence lessons once I'd built up enough money and found somewhere discreet. Then I'd ended up fighting Stormtiger.

"Actually, yeah, I do. My aunt gave me lessons as a way to help me deal with… you know. She's a ninth-tier black-belt or something."

Well that explained how she'd been able to dance around me the whole time.

"Do you think you could teach me?"

"I'm not sure. We're different sizes and builds and your powers aren't really suited to how I fight…" she bit her lip, looking guilty as she thought about it.

I knew she was right, my power basically made me into a tank. I needed to be up close and personal to build up the energy I needed. Emma's power however, worked best with hit and run tactics. Evading and counter attacking when possible.

"What about the basics?" I suggested, "like how to throw or block a punch? Those don't really change no matter how you fight."

Emma's face lit up, "you're right. That should help. Anything else you can think of?"

"Maybe… I think we need some way to communicate, or at least coordinate so we don't keep getting in each other's way."

"Alright. Well, for now, let's start on the basics and we think about the rest later. Now, make a fist. Good, you know how to make a good fist. A good punch should start at the balls of your feet and end at the back of their skull-"

She spent some time going over what she considered 'the basics'. How to throw a punch or kick, how to take a hit, even the best way to land if you get thrown.

We spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between talking about possible tactics and sparing

By the time we finished, I could tell there was a noticeable improvement. Punching a wall, even without my power, felt much more comfortable. I did wonder if I could do more damage with less power if I had more formal training. Maybe I should look into some kickboxing lessons?

We were laughing and smiling as we made our way home. Originally, I'd wanted to talk more about tactics but we'd ended up talking about random nonsense and joking around. it was just like old times, things were finally starting to look up.

 **End of arc 2**

* * *

AN: that cyclist hitting a bus? not making that up. It happened to a friend of mine (he was the cyclist)


	13. Interlude: 2 - Costume Department

Dad was at work, so Emma and I were using the kitchen to work on some more details for our cape identities.

"I don't care how cool you think it looks, I'm not wearing a flame patterned bikini," for one, I didn't have the front for it, in any sense of the word. "Not to mention how impractical it would be."

Emma just laughed, "Wow, sometimes you are so easy. What about these?"

She showed me a couple of rough sketches, apparently she had plenty of time to practice while away.

The costumes she had designed were much more modest but I did notice a common theme amongst all of them.

"Why do all of these have exposed arms?" In fact, all the costumes exposed more skin than I really felt comfortable showing. She'd also added high heels to many of the drawings. No matter what I decided to get, I would be swapping those for sturdy combat boots.

Emma shrugged, "You've got good muscle tone and great legs, you should show them off more."

We had spent days after our fight with the Merchants looking up different costumes and materials. The biggest problem we were facing was my tendency to explode. Whatever costume I chose, it needed to be fireproof.

I sighed and decided not to argue about my appearance. Her sense of fashion had always been better than mine after all.

"That still leaves the problem of materials, not to mention how we're going to make the costumes."

Emma's costume, despite looking good, was a collection of clothes she'd picked up on a shopping trip. It gave little in the way of protection so I had insisted she get a proper costume made, even if it still looked the same.

"Ah-ha! I have a solution for that!" Emma smiled, "Remember I told you I met Summer Rose? Well I sent her a message on PHO, she told me how we can get some tinker-made cloth and get it made into costumes."

"How?" I asked. I couldn't keep the suspicion out of my voice, this was starting to sound like another one of Emma's _plans_. The sort that started with 'I've an idea!' and ended with 'opps' and a grounding.

"Look, I'll show you, just go grab your costume. We can stop and get changed on the way."

Sighing I went up to my room to put on what remained of my costume. This still sounded like a bad idea.

##

Roof hopping in daylight was much harder than I thought it would be. At night, no one would really notice us, aside from the occasional flashes of flame. In the daylight, I was very much aware that I was wearing a worn out costume and was much more visible to the people below.

Eventually, we landed at a row of shops not to far from Empire territory. The sign on one of the shops read "Parian".

I recognised the name, I'd come across her when researching local capes after I first triggered. She was a rogue, an independent cape that used their powers for commercial purposes. As I understood it, she could control cloth and used her power to work as a fashion designer and put on puppet shows.

"Come on," Emma said, jumping from the roof and landing on the pavement below.

Walking into the store felt odd. We were both in costume, with our faces hidden looking more like we planned to rob the place. From the grin on Emma's face, she'd probably thought the same thing.

A small bell run above the door as we entered and a woman, I assumed was Parian, came out of a back room. She wore a costume reminiscent of a Victorian-style porcelain doll, with golden curls. Her face was covered with a white, porcelain doll like mask.

It was actually kinda creepy.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" Despite her costume, her voice was friendly enough and there was a faint hint of an accent that I couldn't place.

Not sure what to say, I let Emma do the talking.

"Hi, we were wondering if we could commision something from you? We both need new costumes and Summer Rose recommended you?"

From the movement of her head, I assumed she was looking at our costumes and I felt myself blush.

"I see, that is possible but you understand it won't be cheap?"

"I know, but my friend kinda needs a fireproof costume," Emma said.

"Oh?" Parian gave me what I assumed was a curious look and I sighed.

"I'm fireproof, my clothes _aren't_ "

Parian chuckled quietly, "oh… yes, I can see how that would be a problem. I can think of several materials that would help but, again, you understand they would be expensive?"

Emma placed her drawings on the counter, "that's fine. If we show you what we were thinking, could you give us a price?"

looking at the drawings, Parian took a pencil and started making notes on the drawings. She asked us several questions about our powers, nothing specific of course, how we wanted the costumes to fit, what sort of fabrics we liked and more.

After nearly half an hour, we had our price. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Great, can you make two of each?" Emma asked, not even phased by the price. Four costumes, two each, at that price would take most of the money we grabbed from the Merchants. Emma had even pushed for Tinker-made fabric, much stronger than mundane cloth and completely fire proof. - _and expensive as hell_ -

Parian nodded, "very well, it will take me time to get the fabrics but would you like to be fitted now?"

Emma looked at me and I shrugged, I was still mourning the loss of my money.

"Sure, that would be great thanks."

I'd never been fitted for clothes before. My shopping typically consisted of me grabbing a couple of jeans and some shirts in my size and calling it a day. Being taken into a changing room and told to strip almost had me running for the door.

Thankfully, I'd been able to keep my mask on but I was blushing to my toes as Parian used a cloth tape to take my measurements. The only good thing, was Parian telling me I was wearing the wrong sized bra, I'd apparently grown recently which made me feel a bit better.

Emma, of course, took it all in her stride. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if neither of us had triggered. Would she have gone on to be a model? Would we even still be friends?

Looking over her notes, Parian quickly noted down a receipt for us. Both costumes were placed under the name Belladonna and with Emma's PHO details, as I still didn't have a name.

"I think that's everything I need," Parian said, "all that's left is the deposit?"

Emma pulled a stack of notes out of her bag, it was some of the money we had taken from the Merchants of course. "This should cover it."

Parian counted it quickly with an experienced eye, "Yes, that's fine. I'll contact you as soon as it's ready."


	14. 3-1

I hit the rooftop with a muffled thud that was lost in the noise of a nearby air conditioner. Next to me, Emma landed without a sound and an amused smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm working on it!" I hissed, trying to stay quiet.

We'd been busy over the last month. Under the guise of sleepovers we'd been sneaking out whenever we could and going on patrol. Mostly, we had been focusing on the Merchants.

As the weakest of the gangs, and the most lacking in capes, they were the safest option. After our run-in with Skidmark and Squealer, we picked out targets carefully. Sticking to small safe houses and dealers.

If nothing else, they made good practice.

Most of the money we picked up from that first raid was gone now. Our new costumes had taken most of it and then we had spent some more on some equipment. We'd bought a pair of radios that came with earpieces and microphones so we could coordinate our attacks.

The range wasn't great, barely reaching a block but it was better than nothing. They were consumer grade after all, which also meant they weren't as secure as we would like, so we had to be careful what we said.

I'd also used the last of the money to find a fighting instructor. There was a gym not far from my house that offered men and women's kickboxing lessons. The woman who ran the lessons was loud, tall, blonde, gorgeous, and strong enough to scare most of the men.

Rolling her eyes, but still smiling, Emma walked passed me and looked at the street below. Our constant attacks were making the Merchants nervous. They were starting to move in larger numbers and Skidmark and Squealer were making more patrols.

They were also getting more aggressive. The Merchants had never been the most well armed gang but there had been a noticeable increase in guns during our fights.

I'd suggested we switch to one of the other gangs for awhile and let them cool down. We could handle (almost) anything they could throw at us, but I was more worried about some random person getting hurt.

Stormtiger had been 'rescued' by hookwolf last week so we decided to mess with the Empire in retaliation. That was why we were currently roof jumping in the south side of the city. We were looking for signs of the Empire but they had been worryingly quiet for the last month of so.

Below us, an Empire drug dealer was talking to a client.

"Go now or wait?" Emma whispered.

"Wait for now, can you hear what they are saying?"

Laying flat on her stomach, Emma turned her head and tried to listen in. Her power included enhanced senses, like night vision and improved hearing.

While she did that, I repositioned my shoulder guard.

Our new costumes had arrived two days ago and this was our first time wearing them.

Emma's looked like her old costume but was made from the same tinker-tech fabrics as mine. It was much more durable than normal fabric and while it couldn't stop a large bullet it was tear and knife resistant. It was also fire proof.

My costume was a sleeveless, very dark red leather short jacket with a shoulder guard on my left shoulder. Both were trimmed in gold. Under that, I was wearing a sleeveless bodystocking with a mandarin collar. The bodysock was reddish grey colour that contrasted well with the dark top and pants.

This left my arms completely bare and the stretchy material of my top showed almost every contour of my torso. Thankfully, Parian had made the material much thicker around my chest so even without my sports bra on, nothing was visible.

My face was covered by a red scarf that wrapped around my lower face and hung down my back. Fired proofed, of course.

I hadn't been sure about showing so much, but with Emma's assurance and the muscle tone I'd been developing I was starting to like the look.

Over my legs, I wore a tight pair of dark red pants with built in knee guards. I'd been worried that they would limit my movement but whatever they were made out of stretched easily and comfortably.

The last addition was a pair of black combat boots. Emma's costume had very slight heels, but I didn't have her enhanced agility and balance.

Emma moved away from the edge, she was clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles were turning white. "They're saying something about kidnapping girls!" she hissed.

"Fuck! Okay, as soon as he's alone, we go down and find out what he knows."

Down below, the client was just vanishing out of sight. Sharing a look with Emma, I frowned and jumped off the roof.

I hit the ground with a thud a meter behind the dealer, not bothering with subtlety.

Hearing me, he dealer took one look over his shoulder and bolted. Before he could reach the end of the alleyway, Emma was there. Stepping out in front of him, she lashed out. There was thud and he fell to the floor with a shout.

"Fuck! You fucking cunt! You can't do this! Do you know who I am!? Krieg is going to fuck you up!"

As he ranted, he crawled backwards until he ran into my legs. He briefly looked up at me before trying to crawl forwards towards the wall. I put my foot down on his back and pushed him into the ground so he couldn't move.

"You were talking about some girls!" Emma snarled, "Tell me everything!"

"No chance! Do you know what they would do to me?"

I lifted my foot so I could pick him up but Emma's foot slammed into his side and he curled up, cursing breathlessly.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from him. "Bell! what the hell?!" I hissed quietly.

"They're kidnapping people," she said simply, not looking me in the eyes, "We need to find them!"

I tried not to sigh. I could understand where Emma was coming from, but beating the shit out of him wasn't going to help.

"Fine, but let me do the talking," went unsaid, was _and when we're done, we are going to have a long talk_.

I'd never tried anything like this and we were not quite sure what to do. I tried to think about what my instructor had said when she spoke about self-defense and grinned.

Walking forwards, I grabbed the dealer who was trying to climb to his feet, turned him round and slammed his back into the wall. I positioned myself in front of the dealer and punched the wall besides his head. It wasn't hard enough to do any damage but I did create a brief flash of flame.

"Now start talking," I said.

"Go to hell bitch!"

I smiled and before he could move my free hand dropped down to his waist. He made a pitiful squeaking as I grabbed hold.

"Now, here's the thing. I can crush steel barehanded," I grind as he pressed himself against the wall and lifted himself onto his toes. "what do you think I can do to _you_ "

To emphasise my point, I squeezed, getting another squeak out of him.

"Listen, bit-" squeeze, "Ma-" and again, "sir! If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go!"

Frowning, I tightened my grip. He was starting to turn an interesting shade of red.

"Okay, okay! Look, don't hurt me! I'll tell you everything!"

 _Well,_ that _was easy._

"So talk. What's the Empire up to?" I demanded, trying to sound more confident than I felt and keeping hold of him just incase.

Besides me, I could see Emma smirking.

Almost panicking, the dealer started talking, "I-I don't know much! I'm just a dealer that's all, I swear! They don't tell me shit! But there's a rumor that the bosses are collecting girls!"

"What girls?" Emma asked with a frown.

The dealer looked at her, then me and for a second, I thought he was going to bolt so I grabbed his shirt in one hand and lifted.

"Answer the question! Which bosses and which girls? "

"T-the capes! I don't know which, I just heard they were on the lookout for girls. Niggers, chinks, it doesn't matter so long as they are young a pretty!"

Besides me, Emma had gone very, very still.

"Where are they taking them?" frozen tundra had more warmth than her voice at that moment.

"I can't, I can't tell you that!"

Lowering him to the ground, I let my temper go. Immediately, my eyes flashed red and smoke rose from my hair.

"Where. Are. They!"

"South side! Scrapper said if I found any I should take them to an old fish processing plant to the south! That's all I know, I swear!"

"Come on, we need to move," Emma said as she quickly walked away.

"We can't just leave him here," I called back.

"We don't have time to hang around! We need to check this out!"

Still glaring, I drove my fist into the dealers stomach and let him fall. While he was still coughing, I grabbed his wrists and zip tied them behind his back.

"And if we leave him and he warns the others were coming?" I shot back.

"I won't, I promise!" he squeaked.

Emma sighed and pulled out the burner phone she was carrying. We both had one, we only turned them on while we were on patrol. She was barely on the phone long enough to say "Belladonna, tied up drug dealer" and the address before hanging up.

That done, she took a running jump to a nearby ledge and used that to vault back onto the roof tops.

"E-Bell! Wait!" I shouted as I ran after her. Jumping, I created a blast to propel me to the roof. By then, Emma was already running towards the south side. Cursing, I chased after her.

Emma ignored my first few shouts but when I threatened to call our dads she stopped dead and turned to glare at me.

"What?" She hissed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You can't just go running off!"

"We don't have time for this! We need to stop them!"

"I know that, but that doesn't justify beating the shit out of some guy!"

I could see Emma digging her heels in, she could be almost as stubborn as me sometimes so I tried changing tactics.

"Emma, if this is true, we -You- can't just go running in," I said softly, "If they are really kidnapping people, then it's going to be well guarded. You're not bulletproof, what happens if someone gets lucky and I have to carry your corpse home?"

It was manipulative and I felt guilty for it, but Emma needed to stop and think. The Empire was bigger than the Merchants. They were certainly better armed and had more capes than anyone else in the city.

Turning away from me, Emma let out a shuddering breath, "W-when those… Those _people_ had me trapped in that alley, they kept talking about a _farm_. Do you know what that is?"

Not trusting myself to talk, I nodded.

The 'farm' was something of an urban myth. Young girls grabbed off the streets or taken from families that crossed the ABB and sent off to some hidden location. Rumor was, they were then forcibly addicted and 'trained' before they were either sold on, or used by the ABB. There had been several investigations which turned up nothing, but the rumors and the threats continued.

"T-they never," she shook her head and I wrapped my arms around her, "I triggered before they could do more than cut me. But I-I can't just walk away from this. If the Empire is grabbing girls off the street…"

She wasn't crying but I could feel her tremble.

"I-It's Okay," I lied. Whenever Emma spoke about that time, I worried if she would ever truly recover. "I understand, you don't want anyone else to get hurt. But you can't help anyone if you just go rushing in."

I held her until she stopped trembling, "Good, now this is what we are going to do. We go to this place and see what's happening. If they're are too many for us to handle, we call the PRT and wait for them to send help. Okay?"

Nodding, Emma took a minute to fix her costume and we took off.

##

Brockton Bay had started as a fishing port that had grown over time. As such, there were plenty of places along the bay that could process large amounts of fight. These days, the bay was all but impassable. A protest by dockworkers, caused by the shrinking economy and demand, sank a number of large ships inside the bay.

This effectively closed bay to most of the larger ships and left many of them trapped. Smaller ships could still get through but it was risky, with only the gangs rumored to risk it.

If the Empire was trafficking people, sneaking small boats out of the bay would be a good, if risky, way to do it.

The building had been surprisingly easy to find. The docks were nominally ABB territory and they held the north side of the city, so we worked our way up towards the docks looking for anyone in Empire colours.

They were being careful not to attract attention but three people, all armed, hanging out near an abandoned fish plant weren't exactly inconspicuous.

Staying low to the rooftops, we had move slowly and stick to the shadows to avoid any possible lookouts. Once we were close enough, we could see the silhouette of more guards through the windows, a few dark shapes that could be extra guards on the roof, and I was sure I saw the light reflect off something on the roof, possibly a scope.

Pulling a small, cheap, viewfinder out of one of the pouches on my belt, Emma and I carefully looped 'round the building. They were definitely guarding something.

Thankfully, most of the guards were looking north, towards ABB territory.

Moving like a shadow, Emma landed on the factory roof not two feet from of the guards and pulled him into a choke hold. By the time I'd managed to reach her, being careful not to make too much light or noise, he was out cold.

To be safe, Emma pulled his shirt off and stuffed it into his mouth before she tied him up.

Inside the building, we found an empty office that gave us a view of what was once the main loading bay. There were more than two dozen men inside, all armed but what really drew my attention, was the cages.

Made from box steel that had been welded into cages, they were just large enough for the girls inside to sit in. Three girls to a cage, four cages in total and each had metal rails running along the sides, probably for a forklift.

The girls inside were young, mostly around my age and a mix of ethnicities.

Next to me, I could hear Emma's deep, shuddering breaths.

Before she could do anything, I moved over and put my arm over her shoulder, keeping her from doing anything rash.

"I know, I know!" I hissed, "But if we just charge in, one of the girls might get hurt. We need backup."


	15. 3-2

"Bell, I want you to go outside-" I started but Emma cut me off.

"What? No! You're not doing this without me!"

"I'm not going to. I want you to head outside and call Summer Rose. The PRT too if you get the chance. Then, the pair of you need to find a door or something and then call me. I'll drop down and distract them and you two can catch them off guard."

For a moment, I thought Emma was going to argue, but instead she huffed quietly and started to stand up.

"Fine, but don't you dare do anything until I get back!" she hissed.

I wasn't worried about Emma getting out unseen. She could move like a ghost when she wanted. I was probably in more danger of being found that she was.

Moving slightly to make sure I was hidden, I sat down to wait.

The Empire guys below me didn't talk much and a couple of them would take a lazy walk around the outside of the cages every now and then. I guess they'd been picked for their discipline.

There was a crash below as a door opened and I nearly dived out of my hiding place, thinking Emma had charged in without me.

I hesitated and It turned out to be a couple more Empire guys, they were dragging a young black girl with them. She wasn't making it easy for them, she was fighting like mad and It was taking two people to drag her across the floor.

Opening one of the cages, they threw inside and walked away.

The cages were in the middle of the building, the east wall held a large shutter that I assumed opened out onto the ocean. That was probably how they were getting the girls out.

The bay was blocked to larger ships but smaller boats could possibly still get through, if they were very careful.

I was really starting to worry when the radio in my ear crackled to life, *we're in position by the northern wall. We'll come in through the window.*

Emma's voice was quiet and I could barely hear her.

"Fine, wait for the shooting to start and try to get the girls out." I sent back.

The office had a balcony that overlooked the ground floor. using the full length of the office I charged forward, using a blast of fire to propel me upwards just as I reached the balcony.

There was shouting below me as the Empire started shooting. Most missed but I could feel the occasional bullet slamming into me as I arced overhead.

Hitting the ground heavily, I drove my fist into the nearest guy. A blast of fire sent him careening into another and the both stayed down.

Bringing my arms up to shield my face, I let the rest waste their ammo on me. My back was to the shutters so I hoped there was nothing important on the other side of the thin metal.

I saw movement out the corner of my eye as Emma dropped through a window. She had a collapsible baton in her hands that she brought down on the guy nearest to her.

His scream of of pain drew the attention of his friends, who opened fire. Leaving a clone behind, Emma dashed to the side just as Summer Rose appeared in a flash of rose petals.

Spinning her staff around she dashed from one end of the room to the other. Anyone in her path went down with the crack of broken bones.

"Cinder! South wall!" Emma shouted as she and Rose continued to draw fire.

Charging forwards, I punched the wall unleashing as much energy as I dared. A massive section of the wall exploded outwards.

The girls in the cages had been screaming from the moment the fighting started, with the smarter ones laying as flat as they could get.

Nearly half the Empire forces were already down and the rest were running for cover.

Grabbing a discarded piece of metal, I used it to snap the lock off the chain holding one of the cages closed.

More bullets bounced off me and I used another blast to propel me towards the shooter. He folded as I drove my fist into his guts. The girl I'd seen them drag in kicked the cage door open, grabbing the other two girls by the hand, she sprinted for the hole in the wall.

With the empire focusing their fire on me again, Rose appeared in front of the cages. Using her staff to smash one open, she actually reached in, grabbing one of the girls and vanishing in a flurry of petals.

She returned moments later to grab another girl, and again for the final one.

Grabbing a piece of discarded chain, Emma swung it at a guy who was taking aim at the two remaining cages. It came down across his wrist that made a cracking sound. He fell to the floor with a scream and Emma made sure to knock him out as she passed.

Picking up his discarded gun, she ran over to a cage and used it to shoot out the lock. Pulling the door open, she turned and fired wildly at the Empire an expression of murder on her face. Most of them ducked behind cover, giving the girls a chance to run for the exit.

One cage left. The hole in the wall was probably large enough for me to carry it through if I was quick.

Whatever fear or respect the Empire thugs had for their leaders was apparently being overridden by self preservation, most of the remaining forces were starting to run. A couple tried to take some parting shots but Emma and Rose were near impossible to hit and I was more or less bullet proof.

Smashing the last lock, I swung the cage door open and waved the girls towards the hole.

I didn't know what the Empire was thinking. I'd heard the 'recruiters' at school, how the proclaimed themselves to be better than the ABB, that they didn't do slavery.

So what did they call this then?

The sound of tearing metal drew me out of my thoughts as the steel shutter was torn apart by a giant wolf-like creature made of blades.

His claws carved furrows in the ground as he walked and I was forced to dodge a lazy swing.

Backing up, I found myself flanked by Rose and Emma.

"So, now what?" Emma asked as Hookwolf roared.

* * *

AN: Sorry, bit of a short update this time.


End file.
